Rovanperä will start his season next week at Rally Sweden. The relaxed Finnish driver heads into each rally aiming for victory, not concerned with anything else. For now, there’s no need.
“At least not at the beginning. We’ll see how things go as the season progresses, whether I start thinking about the overall situation, but the plan is to go for the maximum result in every rally and bring as many points as possible for the team in the manufacturers’ championship,” Rovanperä planned.
“We hope to play a big role this year, bringing as many points as possible from the rallies we participate in for the team. That would be a good thing,” Rovanperä continued.
Rovanperä did not compete in the WRC season opener in Monte Carlo. Instead, he went ice fishing among other activities. How has this part-time status materialized for him?
“Not in any special way,” Rovanperä claimed.
“It was quite relaxed. I got to do my own things, and there wasn’t a huge urge to get back in the car anyway. It was a cool feeling to be on the stages, and I did think that it would have been nice to be driving, but that quickly faded when I got to enjoy my own time,” Rovanperä continued.
However, Rovanperä has noticed a clear change in himself – or at least others have. Racing for the championship over a season is mentally taxing, but now all that pressure is gone.
“Yeah, it feels good, and it’s quite nice,” Rovanperä said.
“People close to me have mentioned that my demeanor has changed a lot since I’m not constantly stressed and get irritated as easily. Apparently, I’m more relaxed.”
That sounds positive. Being relaxed usually leads to the best results, right?
“That’s what they say. Let’s hope it also shows in the races this year,” Rovanperä chuckled with optimism.
